Planning (UK) articles from December 2007

Planning (UK) archives from December 2007

Diary.
December 7, 2007... Eco-warriors Greenpeace were not at all impressed with the government's consultation on expanding Heathrow Airport, which was unveiled last month. Published just three days after prime minister Gordon Brown declared that he would transform...

Planning in the media.
December 7, 2007... The summer's catastrophic flooding, which left 14 people dead and caused pounds 3 billion of damage, featured heavily on television this week. ITV1's Tonight with Trevor McDonald featured a computer model to estimate what would have...

Appointment at Turley Associates.
December 7, 2007... Richard Hunt has been appointed in the new role of national head of renewables, minerals and waste at Turley Associates. He moves from Atkins, where he was principal planner

Appointment at Cambridgeshire Horizons.
December 7, 2007... Alex Plant is the new chief executive of Cambridgeshire Horizons. He was previously deputy regional director of the Government Office for the East of England. He replaces Stephen Catchpole, who has been appointed chief executive of the...

Appointment at Nathaniel Lichfield.
December 7, 2007... Jasdeep Bhalla, Jenny Mitter, Kate Powell and Helen Ridgway have been recruited as planners in the Cardiff office of Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners. Jane Lowson has been appointed a planner in the Manchester office and Gareth Fairweather has...

Appointment at Savills.
December 7, 2007... Rob Wells has joined Savills' planning team in Birmingham as an associate. He was previously part of the planning management team at Birmingham City Council

Appointment at Lennon Planning.
December 7, 2007... Max Baker has been chosen to become associate director in the Winnersh office of Lennon Planning. He was previously forward planning and transport manager at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. Alexander Laney joins as an assistant...

Appointment at HLL Humberts Leisure.
December 7, 2007... Rachel Whaley has moved to the chartered surveyors HLL Humberts Leisure as a senior planner. She joins the firm's northern office in Skipton, North Yorkshire, having previously worked at Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

Appointment at Church Commissioners for England.
December 7, 2007... Patrick Earle, formerly planning and development manager at Richmondshire District Council, has been appointed an associate planner for the Church Commissioners for England

Graduate counting down to chartered membership route.(Royal Town Planning Institute)
December 7, 2007... Standard entry and special entry paths will be closed as the licentiate system is set up, notes Dushy Large. All graduates who successfully completed RTPI-accredited degrees since last year will now be expected to take the Assessment of...

RTPI welcomes government input to national policy statements.
December 7, 2007... The RTPI has broadly welcomed the Planning Reform Bill but the workings of the proposed infrastructure planning commission and the development of national policy statements (NPSs) have still to pass a series of tests. Of central importance...

George Pepler International Award offers overseas study opportunity.
December 7, 2007... Applications are invited for the 2008 George Pepler International Award from anyone under the age of 30 who is interested in going abroad to study an aspect of town and country planning. The successful candidate will be awarded pounds 1,500...

Events.
December 7, 2007... PPS3 - The Way Forward - 12 December. RTPI Yorkshire. Leeds. A look at the changes in PPS3, including a return to the five-year land supply requirement, the replacement of urban capacity studies by housing land assessments and introduction...

South East vision comes into focus.(Report)
December 7, 2007... As consultation on the inspector's report into the South East Plan draws to a close, Mike Roberts takes a look at the issues it has raised. The draft inspector's report on the South East Plan was published this summer on behalf of the...

Transport dominates conference's agenda.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Conference news)
December 7, 2007... The role of transport in both national and local planning frameworks was the key topic for the recent RTPI-TRICS event reports Jamie Birtles. RTPI president Jim Claydon opened this year's RTPI and TRICS Transport and Development Conference...

Australian institute outpost offers different slant on planning practice.(Planning Institute of Australia)
December 7, 2007... The global market increasingly requires planners to share skills and experience to improve practice around the world and the Planning Institute of Australia's UK branch is fully involved in this, explains Javiera Maturana. The UK branch of...

DC Casebook: Agricultural development - Storage barn ruled out by visual impact.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... A proposal for a storage barn on land in Essex has been rejected after an inspector voiced concern about its excessive size, lack of proven need and visual impact. The appellant proposed to raise a herd of cattle, although this had yet to...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Site held no threat to airport expansion.
December 7, 2007... An inspector has dismissed an appeal for a hardstanding and improved access to a site in Norfolk on visual impact grounds after deciding that refusal would not prejudice the future expansion of Norwich Airport. The appellants contended...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Green belt road depot removal ordered.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of a highway contractor's depot in the Essex green belt has been upheld after an inspector found that it undermined openness and compromised safety. The appellants acted as a sub-contractor to a...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - School noise deemed acceptable in home.
December 7, 2007... An inspector has quashed an enforcement notice and granted planning permission for the change of use of a terraced house in north London to a primary school after finding that it would not harm neighbours' living conditions. The inspector...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - Prison block road safety fears overruled.
December 7, 2007... A proposal for a 64-cell accommodation block and 42 parking spaces has been allowed at a young offenders' institution in Northamptonshire after a ruling that they would not harm highway safety. The institution was one of three prisons in...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - Need for surgery on open space queried.
December 7, 2007... A medical centre and doctor's surgery with a flat above has been ruled out on an area of grassed open space in Hove after an inspector found no clear need for the scheme. The site was unused and provided no recreational benefits to local...

DC Casebook: Energy development - Wind farm held to affect setting of castle.
December 7, 2007... The Scottish Government has turned down proposals for a wind farm in Aberdeenshire after endorsing a reporter's view that it would have an unacceptable visual impact and adversely affect the setting of a listed castle. The scheme comprised...

DC Casebook: Food and drink uses - Cafe judged appropriate in industrial area.
December 7, 2007... The continued use of a portable cabin on an industrial estate in St Helens as a snack bar and cafe has been allowed after an inspector found that it would not affect the area's character or appearance and satisfactory access could be achieved....

DC Casebook: Food and drink uses - Farm catering facility ruled unsustainable.
December 7, 2007... The retention of a 100-seat restaurant operating in converted farm buildings in Herefordshire has been denied after an inspector concluded that it involved an unsustainable form of development. The buildings contained a dining room,...

DC Casebook: Gypsies and travellers - Public interest upheld despite home loss.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The secretary of state has accepted an inspector's advice to uphold an enforcement notice seeking the removal of Gypsy families from land in the Bristol and Bath green belt, concluding that it was justified in the public interest even though...

DC Casebook: Housing: new build - Employment land retained for renewal.
December 7, 2007... A proposal for 80 houses on an employment site in north Wales has been rejected following a ruling that it would undermine prospects for economic regeneration in the area. The 2ha appeal site comprised a vacant area of former colliery land...

DC Casebook: Housing: new build - Occupancy condition ruled unnecessary.
December 7, 2007... An inspector has agreed to lift an occupancy condition imposed on a development comprising ten homes in Staffordshire after deciding that the council's approach did not accord with development plan policies. The council had granted...

DC Casebook: Housing: new build - Home held to comply with updated policy.
December 7, 2007... A reporter has granted permission for a house proposed in the grounds of a substantial Georgian listed building near St Andrews after concluding that the building was in line with emerging development plan policies. A local plan adopted in...

DC Casebook: Housing: new build - Demand for replacement pond overruled.
December 7, 2007... A condition imposed on a planning permission for four houses in Suffolk has been deleted following a ruling that it would be unreasonable to provide a replacement pond, although another disputed condition requiring the provision of a wildlife...

DC Casebook: Housing: new build - Emergency access regarded unnecessary.
December 7, 2007... An inspector has rejected plans for a detached house on land in the Wirral because it would lead to tree loss, but overruled local authority concerns about the lack of an emergency access to the site. The site was located at the end of a...

DC Casebook: Householder development - Model railway allowed beyond curtilage.
December 7, 2007... A private miniature garden railway has been allowed at a house in Warwickshire after an inspector ruled that it would not harm the surrounding countryside's character or appearance. A small part of the railway was to be laid out in the back...

DC Casebook: Householder development - Inspector reinstates right to extend home.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... An inspector has agreed to lift a condition restricting permitted development rights at a house in Cornwall after deciding that the local authority's approach was not justified. The condition removed permitted development rights under...

DC Casebook: Mixed use development - Nightclub noise found acceptable in flats.
December 7, 2007... A residential and commercial scheme has secured planning permission in the West Midlands after an inspector ruled that noise levels generated by nearby entertainment venues would not cause unacceptable living conditions. The development...

DC Casebook: Mixed use development - Mixed scheme rejected due to poor layout.
December 7, 2007... The secretary of state has accepted an inspector's recommendation to reject redevelopment of a bus depot in Southampton with a Sainsbury's superstore and homes after finding that living conditions would be unacceptable. The secretary of...

DC Casebook: Mixed use development - Building allowed on communal garden.
December 7, 2007... A three-storey building proposed on the site of a sunken garden in south-west London has won support from an inspector who decided that it would not affect the integrity of an estate layout. The appeal sites comprised two parcels of land...

DC Casebook: Waste management - Landfill closure held back for six months.
December 7, 2007... The owners of a landfill site in north Wales have won a reprieve from a closure notice issued by the Environment Agency by persuading an inspector to extend its working life by six months. The site comprised three former slate quarries. It...

DC Casebook: Next week.
December 7, 2007... Runway paving intensification claim lost The secretaries of state for communities and local government and transport have allowed an all-weather surface at a grass runway in Northamptonshire despite fears that it would open the way for...

DC Casebook: In depth - Loss of lifeboat station blocked to enable search for other uses.
December 7, 2007... The Welsh environment, sustainability and housing minister has rejected an application for listed building consent to demolish a boathouse, slipway and access walkway at a lifeboat station in west Wales after concluding that more effort could...

DC Casebook: Mixed use development - Mix favoured despite capacity worries.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The secretary of state has allowed a recovered appeal for a mixed residential and business development in Middlesex after deciding that it would maximise the site's potential and increase housing supply. The 6ha vacant site had previously...

DC Casebook: Mixed use development - Commercial plans deemed unrealistic.
December 7, 2007... An outline proposal for a commercial, leisure and residential development at a harbour in Fife has been allowed after a reporter found that its allocation for wholly commercial use was unrealistic. The inner part of the former commercial...

DC Casebook: Retail development - Shoe sales evade clothing prohibition.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... An inspector has issued a lawful development certificate for shoe sales at a retail park in Exeter after finding that it was not precluded by a condition prohibiting the sale of clothing. The only issue was whether the reference to...

DC Casebook: DC Forum.
December 7, 2007... NEW QUERIES Is it generally accepted that any other conditions that are still relevant need to be reimposed when permission is given under section 73 to remove an existing condition? The issue arises out of how prior conditions are to be...

How we did it ... Grocery roof becomes biodiversity showcase.
December 7, 2007... Project: A scheme to create a brown and green roof on an existing building, the Unicorn Grocery. Background: The roof is part of a Manchester-wide project called Make Room for Black Redstarts, which aims to create habitat 'stepping stones'...

The things I know.
December 7, 2007... Trevor Cherrett - Head of planning for sustainable rural communities, Commission for Rural Communities. What skills did you have when you graduated? How to set about different planning and decision-making processes, often...

Positive plans win acclaim.
December 7, 2007... The rich variety of achievements showcased in this year's RTPI award entries reflects well on the profession and establishes the bedrock for future progress, concludes Anthony Fyson. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the annual RTPI...

Speaking up for Wales.(Roisin Willmott)
December 7, 2007... As the first national director of RTPI Cymru Roisin Willmott wants to unite its members in the drive to establish Welsh planning policy as a beacon for sustainability, Vicki Shiel discovers. Roisin Willmott is determined to raise the...

Planners have to seize gauntlet and stand up to climate change.
December 7, 2007... The start of the UN conference on climate change in Bali this week follows 12 months of growing awareness of the challenge facing the planet. While the summit may only end up as talks about talks, with many high-sounding words but few...

Fyson on ... encouraging signs that local views will be heard.
December 7, 2007... Fyson on... encouraging signs that local views will be heard in national infrastructure inquiry decisions. In her Planning Reform Bill, communities secretary Hazel Blears has tried to assuage the fears of those who believe that local...

Legal report.
December 7, 2007... Enabling carbon capture and storage techniques. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of the most promising technologies for tackling carbon dioxide emissions, particularly from fossil fuel- fired power stations and energy- intensive...

Bell on ... the merits of fast decisions.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... As you enter the stunning cathedral to rail that is now St Pancras International, you spot the kissing couple. Although big it has all the charm of mall sculpture. Better by far is the billowing figure of John Betjeman, a bronze that...

Taking stock of targets.(Empty Homes Agency)
December 7, 2007... The housing and planning delivery grant should be tied to the number of existing properties brought back into use according to Empty Homes Agency figures, reports Catherine Early. At a time when the government is desperate to increase the...

Council to examine golf course refusal.
December 7, 2007... Aberdeenshire Council is to hold a special meeting to consider options for overturning the decision to reject plans for a pounds 1 billion golf complex north of Aberdeen. The meeting has been called in response to the outcry that followed...

Design lobby eyes quality.(Architecture + Design Scotland)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... A working group is being formed by design watchdog Architecture + Design Scotland to consider how to promote quality through the planning system. The initiative emerged in its annual report Building on the Foundations, launched last week...

Task force calls for bold rural schemes.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Local authorities in rural areas have been given a clear signal by ministers to release more land for housing. Speaking after chairing a meeting of the Scottish Government housing supply task force, communities minister Stewart Maxwell said...

Online now.
December 7, 2007... Visit the forums at PlanningResource.co.uk for Can applications be determined in fewer than 21 days? Must land be actively farmed to count as agricultural? Also online Review of Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, masterplan Roof tax proposals...

Planning stats.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... 150 million - The tonnes of carbon emissions that councils could help to cut a year, according to a report by the Local Government Association climate change commission. 85,000 - Applications that could be removed from the planning system...

Firm expands base in north.(Taylor Young Partnership)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Taylor Young opened an office in Manchester last week, returning to the city where the firm was established more than 140 years ago. The company's headquarters will remain at Handforth in Cheshire as it continues to expand its operations in...

Inbuilt forges team for green offensive.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... A major sustainability consultancy to be launched next week is looking to set up a planning team to complement its existing expertise in green developments. Inbuilt, led by David Strong, has already recruited three high-profile experts to...

Nuclear sites under review.(Royal Haskoning appointed by British Energys nuclear power sites )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Royal Haskoning has been commissioned as lead adviser on the environmental assessment of British Energy's nuclear power sites to see if new plants are feasible. The appointment is part of the energy company's aim to position its sites as...

Sunderland unifies city design.
December 7, 2007... David Lock Associates (DLA) has drawn up an urban design strategy for Sunderland city centre that covers the controversial Vaux brewery site owned by Tesco. The firm's vision for the redevelopment was sent out for public consultation by...

Livingstone backs bridge.(Ken Livingstone )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Funding announcements made by the government back up the regeneration case for the Thames Gateway bridge, London mayor Ken Livingstone said last week. Speaking at the gateway forum he said the last public inquiry was held before several...

Forum sees fund launch.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... A strategic investment fund has been set up for sub-regional initiatives that may add pounds 12 billion per year to the UK economy, the Thames Gateway Forum heard last week. The fund will receive pounds 80 million from the DCLG and pounds...

Kit provides culture tools.
December 7, 2007... Living Places, the government scheme designed to promote the role of culture and sport in developing communities, is to create a culture planning toolkit (CPT). The online guide will include advice on cultural mapping, how cultural...

Delivery director selected.(Thames Gateway appoints Paul Hudson )
December 7, 2007... Paul Hudson has been appointed director of delivery of the Thames Gateway, a specially created post aimed to drive forward the regeneration programme. Hudson, former chief planner at the DCLG, will see the Essex, London, Kent and Olympic...

DCLG cash injection to support Southend town centre renewal.(Department of Communities and Local Government)(Renaissance Southend Ltd )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Southend town centre is in line for a revamp following the publication of the central area masterplan and regeneration framework at the Thames Gateway Forum. Renaissance Southend Ltd (RSL) also received pounds 15 million of funding from...

Funds assure station start.
December 7, 2007... Growth point funding and a section 106 agreement have helped to finance a pounds 500,000 upgrade of Redhill bus station in Surrey, granted permission last week. The revamped terminal will link the town with key local areas. An express bus...

Capital plans safety drive.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... New powers to improve road safety are being sought by London Councils and Transport for London. The London Local Auth-orities and Transport for London (No. 2) Bill, now before parliament, aims to remove hazards facing pedestrians, cyclists...

Research points to investment boons.(Department for Transport )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Proposed changes to local transport scheme appraisal could identify significant benefits that have previously been uncounted, a study published last week suggests. A report from think-tank Centre for Cities argues that the Department for...

Consolidated delivery scheme to cut Birmingham congestion.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... A scheme to reduce the number of lorries in the centre of Birmingham is being examined by the city council. Special freight centres could be used to rationalise the number of deliveries to the main shopping centres, the council argued....

Bus users set for champion.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The government is to create a watchdog for bus passengers, transport minister Rosie Winterton announced this week. A consultation has been launched and will consider whether to create a new body or give the role to an existing organisation...

Suffolk road wins backing.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The government has given the go-ahead for the final phase of the Stowmarket relief road in Suffolk. It will provide a new route for the B1115 to the north-east of the town and pass over the London to Norwich main line railway, replacing a...

Bill defends Merton rule.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The Planning and Energy Bill was introduced in parliament this week in a bid to reinforce the Merton rule. The private member's bill put forward by Tory MP Michael Fallon follows fears that the government is backtracking on its support for...

Gallions Park bid shapes up.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... A planning application for London's first zero carbon development is due to be submitted in the new year. The Gallions Park scheme at the Royal Docks, east London is being developed by Bioregional Quintain, Crest Nicholson and Southern...

EU endorses energy lead.(European Union)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Councils across the UK have been recognised by the EU as part of efforts to raise awareness of sustainable energy. Wolverhampton City Council and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council have been give partner status for the Sustainable Energy...

Commission urges carbon action plan.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... National carbon reduction targets should be a material consideration in planning policy, the Local Government Association climate change commission said this week. Its report urges councils to fast-track proposals in their local...

Insurers call for government to review projects in flood zones.
December 7, 2007... Ministers must review major schemes where councils propose to ignore Environment Agency advice on flood risk, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said. In a report released this week on the summer's flooding, the ABI calls on the...

Call-in threat hangs over Bath proposal.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Government officials are considering whether to call in a pounds 500 million plan for a housing-led scheme in Bath. Bath and North East Somerset Council last week gave Crest Nicholson permission for the Western Riverside project, which...

ISIS housing plan rejected.
December 7, 2007... Plans for a major waterfront housing scheme that led to rifts between a London borough and mayor Ken Livingstone have been rejected by the government. Communities secretary Hazel Blears backed the findings of a public inquiry for a scheme...

Scotland stands by home demand figures.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The Scottish Government has defended its housing growth forecasts after warnings from GVA Grimley that the country could face a shortage of new homes. A report from the consultancy suggested that recent projections for homes needed in...

Agenda.
December 7, 2007... 11 DECEMBER: The New Planning Regulations for Zero Carbon Developments Organiser: Waterfront Venue: London Fee: pounds 199-pounds 499 Details: (tel) 020 7105 6035 12 DECEMBER: Giving Evidence at Inquiries Organiser: RTPI Venue:...

Traffic model error halts inquiry again.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The public inquiry into a controversial Peak District bypass plan will be adjourned for the third time after the Highways Agency admitted to further errors. Latest evidence submitted by the agency to the inquiry reveals inconsistencies in...

Target time limits lifted.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... All schemes subject to an agreed timetable between a council and developer should be exempt from 13-week target for major projects, the government has decided. The move comes in the DCLG's response to its consultation on planning...

Coal mine go-ahead reverses local veto.
December 7, 2007... Plans for an opencast coal mine in the North East have been given the go-ahead by the government in spite of local opposition. The DCLG said the 300ha scheme for Shotton, Northumberland, would be environmentally acceptable, appropriate to...